17th Month Check-In

Today marks Lia's 17-month birthday. Time is just flying by and my baby girl isn't so much of a baby anymore. Last week was really and truly the first time that I looked at her and said to myself, "You aren't a baby anymore. You're a little girl!" So, the transition has been made. Now, people are going to start asking me when the next baby is coming. Can't wait for that. Anyways, Lia has really been changing and developing this month. There are so many things that she is beginning to understand. I find myself constantly being surprised by the connections she is making and the things that she is remembering. So, here is a brief (at least I am going to try to make it brief) list of her latest developments and changes in the last month!

1. She has discovered the art of throwing herself flat on the floor and throwing mini-tantrums. I say mini because her tantrums are not the full-blown, lengthy ones I have observed from older children. I'm sure that time will bring that blessing into our lives.
2. She has started to become quite confident in the running department. She still looks a little awkward and odd while doing it, but at least it's getting her places a little faster than walking.
3. The Lia of old in the eating department is back!!! I love it! She is now back to eating 99% of what we put in front of her. Hooray! I haven't touched those baby food jars in weeks. She is eating all of the dinner foods and all of the veggies that we place on her tray....and I'm talking things like zucchini and yellow squash and broccoli and green and red peppers. I'm loving it! If it would only last forever. On a slight different note, she has also really started to feed herself a lot of things with her spoon. In fact, she now insists that the bowl and the spoon be placed on her tray during mealtime.
4. Her baby doll has been demoted. I mean totally demoted. That little doll had become Lia's fifth appendage over the last many weeks. Then, one day, that switched got turned off when Lia discovered the soft bunny that has been laying in her crib for OVER a year! I have no idea what triggered this change in preference, but her bunny is now #1! Where Lia goes, it goes.
5. This is my favorite development of the month....Lia has started to pat things. When you hug her, she will sometimes pat your back and when she wants you to sit down by her, she will now pet the floor/stair/rock she is sitting on. Too cute!
6. Although Lia has been waving for months in order to say "bye," she has now begun doing it while saying "hi." Her wave has also gone through a three-phase transition this month....it started out as an opening and closing of the hand months ago and then evolved into a crab-like pinching of the fingers (my favorite) a few weeks ago and is now a crazy, spastic wave of the entire hand through the air.
7. She has picked up lots of new words this month: boat, thank you (sounds like doo-doo and she says it while giving you something instead of receiving something), ABC, 123, no (argh! she finally learned that word from someone....we don't know who as we never say it), meeow (but she says "meenow"), weeeeee, hi, bye, see (learned that one from grandpa), bee (learned that from grandma), shovel (shuh), choo choo, outside, touch, and poo poo. She also has begun to understand a lot of phrases like "Give the shoes to mama," or "Do yo want to go on a bike ride?," or "Give papa a kiss."
8. She can now blow kisses and give them! So, so, so cute!
9. She has really fallen in love with water play. All of this has been discovered in the past month as we have gone to the Lake Samm and Priest Lake beaches and Blake Island. She loves playing in the sand and on the water's edge (she learned the word "weeeeee" from her grandma while the waves come in), throwing rocks, and most especially jumping into my arms from the dock. Wow! She is fearless as it's like a two-foot drop down to me in the water! Lia has also really started to enjoy playing in her backyard (why she uses the word "outside"). She loves playing on her swing set and in her little clubhouse with daddy.
10. Lia has really grown attached to her daddy (especially after this past weekend when it was just the two of them for four days). She now cries when he leaves each day to go to school and when I take her away from him at night so that he can get his homework done. I think we just might have a daddy's girl in the making.......I'm simply becoming more of an accessory in this house. ;-)

A few pics from her 16th month...

Lia discovering the "big person" chair in the kitchen.

"Terrycloth Togetherness." Grandma and baby playing at Priest Lake in their almost matching outfits.

Lia battling with her shoes. Sometimes she gets so mad when she can't get them off. That's where I come into play, but remember that I'm just an accessory these days!